Young Justice: Subject M (on hiatus for now)
by honoroconnor
Summary: Two years after YJ: I. Superboy has resigned from the Team, enjoying life, and despite not being part of the League, he helps Nightwing and Tigress/Artemis taking down Meta-Human trafficking syndicates. However, Conner ventures deeper into this darker world and realises there's more to it. The story will also include a pairing for experimentation: SuperArrow (Superboy/Artemis).
1. Duty Calls

_**This will be my first Young Justice fanfiction since my old account that I most definitely left behind but still miss very dearly. I loved Young Justice ever since it came out in 2010 and was so heartbroken when they cancelled it six years ago. Now I'm glad it's back, and I can't wait for more episodes to come!**_

 _ **However, this will be a completely different story disconnected from YJ: O. But this story will still take place two years after YJ: I, so please be cautious before you comment.**_

 _ **The story will take a lot of elements from The Winter Soldier and other materials, so if you don't like it, don't feel obligated to read any further after this chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice. All rights belong to Warner Bros. Animation Studios.**_

 _ **…**_

 _ **Chapter 1: Duty Calls**_

 _ **…**_

 _ **Washington D.C.**_

 _ **April 4, 05:55 EDT**_

 _ **Two years later…**_

Early morning. The skies were navy blue, with pinkish orange as the sun was beginning to rise. The first trickles of morning light reflected on the Washington Monument, casting shadows over the city. As the people of Washington D.C. awoke from their slumber, Jefferson Pierce made his way through the desolate streets. Besides the footsteps of this early-riser, silence enveloped the political centre of the United States of America.

As Jeff passed Independence Avenue, he pounded by the Capitol Building, which gleamed with the first bits of sunlight. He made his way past the Lincoln Memorial, where the statue of Abraham Lincoln watched over the city. But he didn't stop to notice the beauty of the solitude that morning in D.C. or the famed sights that could quickly fill up a tourist's day.

As the morning grew, Jeff reached the reflecting pool on the mall, an outdoor area that usually bustled with people but that remained empty in the early morning. The only other person was a solitary runner who moved so fast he appeared almost like a spectre or a wild animal running to catch its prey. Jeff watched in awe as the figure came at him.

"On your left!" the runner called out as he zipped past. Jeff felt determined to catch up with this guy. Sometimes his competitiveness always came out in most days, usually wanting to beat others on the road. But this time it wasn't about beating another person's time; this was about trying to go toe-to-toe with a Kryptonian hybrid.

But the runner passed him again, "On your left!"

This time Jeff responded, "Uh huh. On my left, got it."

He passed him again. And again. It felt as if Zatanna was present somewhere, making loops just to intimidate him and make this hybrid look superior. Jeff was becoming more and more determined to catch up.

And sure enough, as the Kryptonian hybrid passed him again, and Jeff was feeling agitated, "No! Don't say it. Don't even think about saying...!"

He called out, "On your left!"

"COME ON!" Jeff had enough. He picked up his speed, his feet pounding against the pavement, running as fast as he could, panting and pushing himself harder and faster until finally he was forced to stop for breath. His lungs had burned out and were desperate for oxygen. Sweat dripped down his face. Sucking in the air and trying to bring his heart rate down, he sat in the grass, depleted of all energy he had for the morning.

"Need a medic, Jeff?"

An exhausted retired Black Lightning looked up at the boy who would remain the same age physically. Taking in a deep breath, he replied, "I need a set of some of those Kryptonian lungs of yours."

Jeff's shirt was drenched in sweat, "Conner, how the hell did you run 30 miles in 10 minutes without cheating?"

"Got a late start," the Boy of Steel replied.

"Really? What happens when you are on time? You get home before you leave?"

Conner smiled, "What brings you here to D.C.?"

"I live here now. Just teaching physics down at the WIS," Jeff explained, "I'm done with the superhero business after an incident in Rann a few days ago. Decided I want to get away from it all."

(a/n: WIS stands for Washington International School)

"Trust me, I know exactly what you mean", Conner nodded, "And I heard about Rann, I know you didn't mean to do it."

"Thanks," Jeff responded sadly, "So you're retired as well?"

"From the league? Yeah," Conner said without any regret, remembering how he announced his retirement from the Team. It wasn't pretty since she didn't take it lightly, "Especially since I heard Batman and some Leaguers resigned as well?"

Jeff nodded. But he didn't want to talk about this, "So what do you do?"

"Doing undercover stuff… with Nightwing," he said quietly.

"You still doing those gigs?" Jeff seemed surprised.

Conner laughed, "Got nothing else to do y'know."

"So how's that going for you?"

It took Conner some time to think, "Well, it's not so bad. I usually have missions about four times a week, and I get to spend some time with my Ma and Pa back in Smallville. So it's working pretty well so far."

Then Conner's cell phone chirped. He looked at the message: _METAHUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTSPOT DETECTED. SEARCH AND RESCUE. BTW meet at the curb :3_

"Alright, Jeff, duty calls," he shook Jeff's hand, "Thanks for the run. That is if you wanna call it that?"

"Oh, that's how it is?" Jeff replied jokingly.

Conner grinned, "Oh, that's how it is."

"Okay," He laughed. But he didn't want the encounter to end and said, "By the way, if you ever want to drop by Washington International, and make me look cooler in front of some of the female teachers, let me know."

"You're 30 years old, Jeff. I think you can handle yourself," Conner said with a smile, "But I'll keep that in mind."

Suddenly, a sports car pulled up, and an attractive young woman about Conner's age with blonde hair and sunglasses popped her head out the driver's side window. The woman stepped out of the sleek sports car and smiled, taking off her sunglasses. Artemis Crock, Jeff knew her too. She asked the men, "Hey guys. Do either of you know where the Smithsonian lost, and found is? I'm looking for a child."

Conner chuckled as he walked towards the car, "That's hilarious."

Artemis looked at Jeff, smiling and acknowledging him with a casual "Hey."

"Hi," he replied, waving back, "Going on a mission?"

"Yup," Conner said as he got into the car with Artemis, "You can't run everywhere, Jeff."

"No you can't," Jeff saluted them both.

Then they drove off, leaving a small cloud of dust behind them. Business as usual.

 ** _…_**

 ** _So that's the first chapter done. I hope you all enjoyed it. I know its very derivative to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But hey… it's fanfiction._**

 ** _See you all soon!_**


	2. Business As Usual

_**And I'm back! Sorry for the delay. I really appreciate the early support!**_

 _ **Also, to one of the guest reviewers; we'll see how the story goes…**_

…

 _ **Chapter 2: Business As Usual**_

…

 _ **South China Sea**_

 _ **April 5, 5:55 ICT (Indochina Standard Time)**_

It was a joint operation with the US Navy SEALs. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III flew high above the South China Sea, lurking in the clouds like a ghost, quiet but present. Inside the large military transport aircraft, Conner was suited up in his stealth suit, minus the House of El insignia, which he had become used to since the start of undercover operations after leaving the Team behind.

He huddled with Tigress and the Navy SEALs while Nightwing updated them on their upcoming mission, showing them a monitor displaying images of a massive cargo ship with a large launching pad.

The Navy SEAL Team leader pointed to the screen, "The target is a mobile satellite launch platform called the _Dragonfly_. It set course for Angola before the ship was taken over by a group of mercenaries. That was three hours ago."

"That's what the SEALs believe, and they're right," Tigress added, "But our intel says that it's also a Metahuman trafficking station and these mercenaries are led by a single Metahuman."

"At sea to avoid authorities on land, huh? Clever, but not clever enough," Superboy studied the ship, "These mercenaries are acting as pirates. So are there any demands?"

"Yes," Nightwing replied, "$2 billion."

Everyone was shocked by the amount of ransom they were demanding for a ship. Pirates, on the other hand, would attack ships all the time usually demanding tens of millions of dollars, but never a billion in ransom.

"Why so steep?" Superboy had to know.

"Because the ship belongs to CSCL."

 _(a/n: CSCL stands for China Shipping Container Lines)_

Superboy grimaced. No wonder these 'mercenaries' would ask for so much money. Superboy studied the map of the area and realized the ship was not necessarily in dangerous waters. It had been captured for a reason. He growled, "Can't believe the Chinese are doing this as well."

"It's a global pandemic", Nightwing responded, reciting Batman's precise words he had told him even before he announced his resignation to the Justice League. He then asked the SEAL Team Leader, "How many hostiles?"

"At least thirty-three plus that Metahuman. So thirty-four in total," he replied, "Origins of these mercs are unknown. Either way, we don't want to underestimate them."

Tigress then butted in and asked Nightwing, "And the Metahuman?"

"Benjamin Turner, a.k.a Bronze Tiger." He brought up the picture on his own portable monitor attached to his wrist.

(a/n: Bronze Tiger will take the appearance similar to the one in the Arrowverse)

"I encountered him before. Central City citizen, martial artist. The guy's got a rep for causing some casualties," Tigress whispered to Superboy, "Question is, what the hell is he doing all the way out here?"

"He can answer questions later," he replied before looking to the SEALs, "The hostages?"

"About 100; 70 crew members and 30 kids between ages 10–15. All Chinese nationals except for one," one of the Navy SEALs explained as she flashed up a photo on their monitor. Amanda Waller's photo.

Superboy squinted, "Why in the world is the head of A.R.G.U.S. doing all the way out here?"

Tigress chuckled, "She can answer questions later. But based on this, I'm guessing she's involved with Metahuman Trafficking as well?"

"We'll see about that," Nightwing said, "Anyways, these hostages are being held in the galley, so we need to make a plan up now before its too late."

"SB?" Tigress asked. She got no response.

Superboy studied the entire layout of the ship. One thing just didn't make sense, and that was the fact that Waller was there. He knew there was a vital piece of information he was missing. Within a few seconds he had a plan in place, "Alright, someone needs to alert the Chinese Coast Guard. I'll drop in first, sweep the decks of the ship and find Turner. Tigress, kill the engines and wait for instructions. Nightwing, you and the SEALs sweep aft, find the hostages, then get them to the lifeboats so the Chinese Coast Guard can pick 'em up. Let's move."

Nightwing smiled as Tigress stared in awe as Superboy gave them clear orders. Eight years ago this was the same guy who had anger issues. Guess not anymore. The Navy SEALs liked his plan and were eager to follow through with it. Their leader sounded off, "You heard him SEAL Team, gear up."

As everyone got ready to dive off the aircraft, Superboy speaks into his radio comm to Tigress, "Secure channel five."

"Five secure," she responded immediately before querying him, "So… d'you do anything fun Saturday night?

"Well, I'm no longer part of the Team and since I'm single… nothing," Superboy smiled, but that was just a facade. He didn't like people, even teammates, asking about his personal life. He knew what Tigress was implying, "Besides, I'm not looking for anyone to date at the moment."

"Who's says I'm asking you out?" She asked smugly.

"Well, you were basically implying it."

She sighed, "Come on, since I usually stay at home helping Will with Lian and you're just running around D.C. every morning, you and I have a lot of free time. You might want to leave your apartment building for some of it. Listen, if you asked me out on a date just as friends, I'd probably say yes.

" _Coming up by the drop zone, SB,"_ Nightwing said through the radio.

"Copy that," he proceeded to head towards the back hangar doors, "I don't date 'coworkers' anymore."

"That makes it tough when you never stop working, let alone not doing anything."

Superboy placed on his face mask. He just wanted her to drop the subject, "That's why I don't ask. Schedule's little tighter these days, y'know?"

Suddenly, a red light went on, and the C-17's back hangar doors opened. A strong wind whipped through the hull and Superboy yelled over the noise to Tigress, "See? No time!"

He raced the length of the jet and leapt out the door. Tigress smiled as she rolled her eyes. The Navy SEALs started to follow but stopped when they realised Superboy had forgotten something.

"Wait, was he wearing a parachute?" A SEAL called out.

"No," Nightwing laughed, "He doesn't need it."

…

Superboy hurtled headfirst, like a missile, out of the C-17 and towards the _Dragonfly_. At the last moment, he flipped and landed into the sea, less than a hundred yards from the ship. He began climbing up the anchor.

The ship floated in the calm waters, with the reflection of the moonlight on its deck. Suddenly, a mercenary standing guard was taken by surprise by Superboy, who silently came up the deck and put him in an armlock, knocking him out. One out of thirty-four. Then, another mercenary had shown up, and Superboy grabbed him by the ankles, disposing of him with two simple strikes to the head. They were powerful but not to the point Superboy had killed him. Two out of thirty-four. In the pitch-dark night in the middle of the sea, he parkoured his way across the deck with ease, taking out three more mercenaries effortlessly thanks to his martial arts. The first was power kicked away from the ship into the sea, the second had been tripped and punched out cold, while the third had attempted to raise an alarm. Luckily Superboy had grabbed a knife from the second's pocket and threw it at the third's hand. He let out an agonising scream, but it wasn't loud enough for others to hear as Superboy kneed his face. Five out of thirty-four. Ten more mercenaries patrolled the opposite deck. But they were no match for the Kryptonian-Human hybrid. Obviously. Emerging from the shadows for a stealthy attack, he dispensed of them all in short order, lasting about 20 seconds. Fifteen out of thirty-four. Superboy told himself at that moment that he'd have to go back and thank Black Canary if he ever visited the Watchtower. He thought he had the cleared the entire deck when he turned to see another merc pointing a modified Remington ACR assault rifle to his head.

"Don't move!" He shouted, "Don't move, asshole!"

Superboy quietly whispered into his ear communicator, "Clear." And the mercenary was safely taken out, thanks to the SEAL Team Leader who was perched above the decks. Sixteen out of thirty-four. Superboy smiled, "Nice shot."

" _Yeah. You seemed pretty helpless so I figured I'd help you out."_ He replied.

From above, Tigress, Nightwing and the rest of the Navy SEALs slapped their chest released, and their chutes swelled into the night as they fell on the deck, rolled, then popped up, rifles cocked and loaded. Superboy ran toward the side of the ship with Tigress by his side. He was hyper-focused on the rescue of the hostages and the capture of Bronze Tiger, but Tigress was still in the middle of the conversation he'd initially believed was already over, "Come on, just you and me as friends. We can go out and eat, watch a movie. What do you say?"

She wouldn't give up! He had jumped out of the C-17 without a parachute, even if he didn't need it in the first place, to avoid her. She didn't get the hint, he thought. In all honesty, he jumped out of the C-17 to save the hostages, but he seriously didn't want to hear another comment from her about his dating life… or the lack of one.

"Secure the engine room first. Then I'll think about it," he replied flatly.

"I'm multitasking," she replied as she expertly slipped through a nearby hatch, disappearing.

…

Meanwhile, the hostages, including Waller, were bound and kept in the galley. They were made to sit on the floor while being guarded by the mercenaries.

"I said to Tiger, if we want the Chinese to pay, we have to start sending them bodies now! I have a bullet for someone," one of the head mercenaries hissed before threatening the Chinese hostages in Mandarin, "You want a bullet in your head?!"

Some of them started to cry. They needed a saviour. Unbeknownst to them, help was closeby.

…

Superboy finally reached the com tower. He climbed halfway up a large gas line pipe, then focused his eyes on the bridge. He used his telescopic vision and he managed to make out Bronze Tiger, who was speaking to the mercenaries. With super hearing, Superboy listened in to what Bronze Tiger was saying.

" _I don't like waiting no more. Call the boys below decks. I want the ship ready to move when the ransom arrives,"_ Bronze Tiger informed the mercenary with him.

" _Yes, sir_ ," He nods before making the call, " _Hey, Tiger says to start the engine."_

…

" _Hey, Tiger says to start the engine."_

"Okay," the mercenary who received the call hung up the phone and turned to see a beautiful blonde woman standing in front of him. She was masked so he just assumed she was beautiful.

"Hey, sailor," she said lusciously, catching him off guard. Seeing her window of opportunity, she immediately kicked him before smashing him down to the metallic floor. Seventeen out of thirty-four. She then descended down to the lower decks using a zip line. She pulled out her bow and shot an electric arrow at another merc, stunning him. Eighteen out of thirty-four. Two more mercenaries looked up but before they could react, Tigress flipped with ease and descended on top of them, taking the pair out with precision strikes to their main pressure points. Twenty out of thirty-four. Looking around at the mercs, she smirked. Child's play, she thought.

…

Back down in the galley, most of the hostages continued their crying, but Waller and some of the others were growing tired of the situation.

"Well, I've waited long enough," the lead mercenary said, he demanded one of his men, "Hey, look for Tiger, now. If I do not hear anything from him in two minutes, I'll start killing them!"

"Okay, I'll get him," the merc replied, but he didn't make it very far. As he turned the corner, he ran right into Nightwing who had his escrima sticks at the ready. The merc began to stagger back but Nightwing grabbed him before he banged against the galley door and then quietly laid him on the floor for a nap. Twenty-one out of thirty-four. The rest of the Navy SEALs listened in for more mercenaries as one of them gently placed a bomb on the locked door of the galley.

The SEAL Team Leader points his gun at the bomb placed against the galley door where the hostages were being kept, and he gives Nightwing the thumbs up, "Targets acquired."

He nods and pressed on his earpiece, "SB, the SEALs are in position."

…

Back in the control room, there was nothing.

" _Radio silence, Tiger."_ He heard the mercenary say.

Superboy got closer to his position, but not too close in case of accidentally getting caught.

Suddenly, he heard the Navy SEALs below decks speak, " _Targets acquired."_

"SB, the SEALs are in position," Nightwing responded as well.

"Understood," he replied, then, "Tigress, what's your status? …. Status, Tigress?"

…

" _Tigress, what's your status?"_

Back in the lower part of the ship, Tigress sprinted across, seeing about four mercs.

" _Status, Tigress?"_

"Hang on!" She shouted as she caught the attention of the mercenaries. She jumped and entangled one of them with her legs. She pummeled the top of his head until he gave in and fell down. Immediately getting up, Tigress launched at the remaining three, taking them down with pure ease.

"Engine room secure." She responded properly as she saw one of the mercenaries trying to get back up. She picked up a nearby wrench and whammed it across his face. Knocked out cold. Twenty-five out of thirty-four.

…

" _Engine room secure."_ Nightwing and the Navy SEALs heard Tigress say, basically giving them the go-ahead signal.

The Navy SEALs went to their respective positions before their leader gave the order, "On my mark. Three. Two. One."

They blew open the door of the galley, taking out six mercenaries while Nightwing knocked down the leading one. Thirty-two out of thirty-four.

Waller smirked and chuckled, "As I said… we don't negotiate with 'terrorists'."

"And you have some explaining to do once this goes on the new, Waller," Nightwing said coldly, releasing her but then putting her on handcuffs. He pressed onto his earpiece again, "SB, hostages are secure. Now heading to the lifeboats."

…

Back in the control room, the last remaining merc with Bronze Tiger tries to get hold of the others below deck.

"Hello? Sir, the line is dead. I lost contact with them."

Within that moment, Superboy smashed through the bridge window tackling the mercenary, who felt the full force of the Kryptonian-Human strength hitting his stomach. He was out. thirty-three out of thirty-four.

Bronze Tiger immediately darted out the door of the bridge as Superboy chased after him.

" _SB, hostages are secure. Now heading to the lifeboats."_

Superboy didn't bother replying to that, completely focused on finding his true target. Although, he wondered if Tigress had already rendezvous with Nightwing and the SEALs.

"Tigress, Bronze Tiger is on the move. I repeat, Tiger is on the move. Circle back to Nightwing and the SEALs and protect the hostages if you haven't already," he spoke into the radio com. But there was no answer from her. "Tigress?"

Out of nowhere, a booted foot kicked him in the stomach. Bronze Tiger pounced just as Superboy managed to compose himself before Bronze Tiger's claws could lay a scratch. For almost 15 seconds, Superboy was on the defensive until he found mutual ground. In response, the Boy of Steel unleashed a fury of blocks and counter punches, eventually kicking him back a few feet away.

Bronze Tiger sneered and laughed, standing up straight, "No killing blows?"

"I don't kill people," Superboy responded with sincerity.

He challenged, "You're retired from the League, aren't you? No holds barred?"

"Doesn't matter. Killing people isn't in my skill set."

Tiger laughed, "That's too bad. I was looking forward to a good fight. I'm just sad to think that you ain't got the guts to challenge me, _Kryptonian_."

Superboy gritted his teeth, taking off his gloves and face mask slowly, getting ready into a battle stance, "Wanna find out?"

His opponent snickered as his charged with his claws out ready to strike Superboy with impunity. With ease, Superboy dodged his attack and did a quick one-two punch on his face. Feeling stunned and taken aback, Tiger looked at Superboy, who just stood there. He pounded his chest and fiercely went for him, only to be jabbed straight to the jaw by the Kryptonian who finished him off by administering a knockout blow with a roundabout kick added with superhuman strength. It's done, Superboy had thought.

However, Bronze stumbled to get up. He was tough and Superboy could respect that, but he immediately ended it as he charged into the Metahuman and broke through a door. He groaned and then passed out. Thirty-four out of thirty-four.

"Well, this is awkward," a woman's voice said. Superboy looked up to Tigress, maskless this time, at a computer.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm backing up the hard drive," she responded, "It's a good habit to get into."

"I told you to find Nightwing," Superboy was upset, and not in a good way, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Tigress didn't pay any attention to his question and instead swiveled to another computer. To find his answers, he went over to see what she was doing. He looked over her shoulder and realised.

"You're getting intel," he said, his tone was almost questioning.

" _Whatever you can get your hands on_ ," she quoted, "Nightwing's precise words." She immediately frowned at the screen as a red file icon pulsed: **LOCKED**.

"Our mission was to rescue the hostages and take down Turner!" Superboy said with intensity as he walked over to Tiger's unconscious body, taking off his claws and handcuffing him. He was still focused on finished the job.

"No," Tigress inserted a translucent data drive into the computer, "That was _YOUR_ mission."

Over the intercom, Nightwing made an announcement, " _All hostages and hostiles secure, well done team."_

"And you've done it beautifully," Tigress yanked out the hard drive out of the computer. "See? No mess."

As she goes to leave, Superboy grabs her arm, "Does Nightwing know about this?"

"Of course."

What a surprise, Superboy said in his mind, "And he thought it would be a great idea to keep me in the dark about it?"

She smirked, "I think that's overstating things."

Suddenly a noise came from the floor and they looked down to see that Bronze Tiger had escaped his chains as he rolled a grenade toward them. Superboy kicked it away just before it had exploded, simultaneously grabbing Tigress away from the blast. Knowing that she was alright, Superboy then angrily chased after Bronze. Again.

Catching up to him, Superboy tripped him and grabbed his head, and banged it against the metal walls of the ship. Now it was thirty-four out of thirty-four.

Tigress caught up and joked, "And _that's_ why you get intel."

Superboy looked at her with pure infuriation. This was not how he had thought the night would go. Inappropriate talk about going out on dates and now this stupid joke.

"Okay, I'm sorry," she backed up, "I'm definitely in the wrong."

"You're damn right," he spat bitterly as he picked up Bronze Tiger's officially unconscious body and carried it all the way to the lifeboats, "Come on, let's get out of here."

Tigress sighed, feeling a sense of responsibility of her actions. Maybe she was going too far? Just by seeing how angry Superboy was and the way he stormed off, she definitely felt guilty.

As they reached the lifeboats, they were met with Nightwing who had a smile on his face, "Good job team. And you to Superboy, you proved how you can be a great leader."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically, "Well then, as the leader, YOU and I are gonna have a talk later."

The Boy of Steel nudged him as he got on the lifeboat to join up with the SEALs, the hostages and the captured hostiles. Nightwing, initially confused, looked at Tigress and gave her the expression that said, "Does he know?"

Tigress nodded. And Nightwing gulped. _I probably should've just told him. He would feel whelmed instead._

…

 _ **And there you have chapter 2!**_

 _ **I hope this was worth the wait and again I apologise if I took long the update if any of you were hoping for it sooner!**_


	3. Project Alexander

_**Thanks to the early reviews once again!**_

 _ **deathtowaterbottles: I'm glad you like the Winter Soldier/Young Justice mashup. It's been something that's been on my mind for ages.**_

 _ **Davidscrazy234: The next update is now! haha**_

 _ **To the guest readers, I wish I could reply to you guy and say thank you!**_

 _ **By the way, this story will also have completely different takes on certain characters, you'll see as you read on.**_

 **…**

 ** _Chapter 3: Project Alexander_**

 **…**

 _ **The Watchtower**_

 _ **April 5, 18:54 EST**_

The Watchtower loomed over the Earth. Although the satellite floated on the edge of the atmosphere, inside it was the bustling centre for activity for its elite team of superheroes. Minus Batman and his group of resigned heroes and Wonder Woman's team operating outside of Earth.

In the debriefing room, the entire League, including what was still left of the Team, were having peaceful conversations on what their next moves were. That peace, however, ended once they heard the Zeta-tube announcer speak, " _Recognized; Nightwing, B-0-1. Superboy, B-0-4. Tigress, B-0-7."_

They had no idea about what was going to occur.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying can you?" Superboy, still wearing his stealth suit, hissed.

"I'm sorry okay?" Nightwing defended himself, "Artemis just had a different mission than yours."

With a slight attitude, Superboy glared and retorted, "Which you didn't feel obliged to share to me of all people."

"I'm not obliged to do anything."

This statement didn't take a strike at Superboy's ego. He stared down Nightwing, harder this time. He was genuinely annoyed like he used to be eight years ago, and everyone could tell, Miss Martian could obviously tell, "Do you want me to lead this new team you formed up?"

"Of course, I just–" Nightwing stopped, and sighed, "Look, I didn't want you to do anything you weren't comfortable with. And Artemis was comfortable with it, so I decided not to tell you."

"Yeah? Well, I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their own."

"It's called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all," Nightwing said. And he realized at the moment, he caught himself in his own trap.

Superboy knew this, and replied bitterly, "Except you. Or Oracle. Or Kaldur. Or Tigress…"

Nightwing sighed again, "Okay, I'm sorry. No more secrets from now on."

"Good," Superboy calmed down, "Anyways, did Waller say anything yet?"

"Not yet," the Boy Wonder said as they walked to the control panel, opening up a hologram image of Bronze Tiger instead, "However, Artemis had Wonder Girl interrogate Turner, and turns out he was working for someone special. Someone you know… ' _personally'._ "

Superboy raised an eyebrow, "' _Personally?'_ "

Tigress spoke from behind him, "Your other 'father'."

Then he realized, and he felt his eyes burn, "Luthor?" He didn't look behind to see Tigress nodding, he just felt it, "Well then, that reminds me. I have a meeting to attend to."

"With who?" Tigress asked as he watched Superboy walk towards the Zeta-tube.

"The Secretary-General himself."

…

 _ **New York City**_

 _ **April 5, 19:30 EST**_

Conner wore a formal suit as he walked into the United Nations Headquarters. He wasn't about big places with big personalities. He never was. He walked up to the reception lady and inquired, "Excuse me, I'm here to see the Secretary-General."

She didn't even flinch a muscle as if she was stifling a laugh, "And whom may you be, young man?"

Conner closed his eyes for a moment and controlled his breathing, "His son."

This time, the receptionist at him and stood up. She eyed him before making a call. It took her a few seconds before somebody had picked up the phone. After a while, the receptionist looked back at Conner and smiled, "That was the main office. Your father may see you now."

…

"To what do I owe the pleasure, son?" Lex Luthor, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, asked. He reached his hand out for a formal handshake but got nothing in return. As he expected.

"Don't call me that," Conner said bitterly, "I'm just here to ask questions."

Luthor laughed, "By all means, have a seat."

His cyborg assistant, Mercy, had pulled a chair to allow Conner to sit down opposite Luthor.

"So," Luthor smiled, hands on his desk, "What questions do you have for me?"

Conner started, "Let's see; why was Bronze Tiger on the _Dragonfly_ under your orders? What could you possibly gain from Metahuman trafficking? And is Amanda Waller any part of this?"

Lex chuckled deeply, "Your interrogation skills need a bit of practice. However more, I'm impressed with your passion."

"JUST ANSWER MY…" Conner controlled his anger, hating the fact that he was being toyed with, "Just answer my questions, please."

"Very well," his 'father' said, "The _Dragonfly_ is not a metahuman trafficking hotspot. It was meant to be a metagene reversal station, and Bronze Tiger, Amanda Waller and a mercenary group I had made was meant to be there, under my orders, to oversee operations and make sure that the ship didn't fall into the wrong hands. I was greatly mistaken."

"You weren't paying Tiger and the Mercenaries enough money?" Conner asked.

"Basically."

Conner then had another question, "Metagene reversal?"

"Children who tested positive for the metagene will be given symptoms that can suppress or kill the cells that contain the metagene. Thus, rendering the children as… let's put it this way; 'normal'."

From this moment, Conner put his head down. Within seconds, Lex Luthor, of all people in the entire universe, revealed everything that most of his teammates couldn't. Was it because they could trust him because of his Superman's reputation for never lying? Or was it because he was technically Luthor's 'son' and he was still programmed of some sort? Maybe, maybe not.

"Here I was thinking you were like the rest of my team," he sighed, "That you'd never share."

"But I do share," Luthor said with a devious smirk, "I'm nice that way."

Conner was confused. What did he mean by that? Then the Secretary-General stood up and walked out of his office with Mercy, motioning for Conner to follow. But he still demanded answers, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

…

Their conversation wasn't over. As they walked out of the office, a yellow aura had illuminated in front of them. Boom-tube had suddenly appeared and they were transported to an unknown location. Conner looked around, they were in a mildly dark place, "Where did that come from?"

Luthor turned around and held out a device, "Motherbox."

They walked further until they came across an elevator. Mercy didn't follow and instead guarded the elevator. Heading into it, a sensor detected both the Secretary-General and the Boy of Steel.

"Insight Bay," Luthor called out to the sensor.

" _Member Kon-El, L-3A does not have clearance for that sector,"_ the male computerized voice announced.

"Sec. Gen. Override, Luthor, Alexander J.," he ordered the computer.

" _Confirmed."_

Member? Conner thought. L-3A? Did Luthor already have his name on the Light's database since the beginning? Anyways, that didn't matter. His mind was straight; he would never join the Light. No matter how hard they would attempt it, he will refuse.

"Did you know that they used to play music in elevators?" Luthor asked.

Conner leaned on the other side, looking at him, "Yeah."

Luthor continued, "My great-grandfather operated one of these things in Germany in the 1930s during the Great Depression. He worked in a nice building, managed to get good tips. He'd walk home every night, glad that he had rolls of cash stuffed inside his lunch bag. He would say "Hi", people would say hi back. As time was reaching the 40s, the Aryans got rougher on him. He'd say "Hi", they'd say, "Get lost, Jew'." So he got to gripping that lunch bag a little tighter."

"Was he ever robbed?"

"Every week, some kids acting tough wearing SS uniforms would demand what was in the bag."

"What would he do?"

"Nothing," Luthor said, "He'd give it all away until he left in '38 for Britain. Then to America in '43."

"Did he do better?"

"In America, some thugs would come and demand money," Luthor had a grin on his face, "This time, he'd show them the money, along with a .357 magnum."

Conner chuckled, "And how do I know if that story is real?"

"I never said anything about it being real in the first place," Secretary-Generaleral retorted calmly. The elevator finally came to a stop and the doors hissed open. Conner stared past Luthor, stunned at what he saw. An entire arsenal of weaponry was being assembled, "I know, this is bigger than the .357."

Conner was speechless, focusing on the weapons being mass produced in assembly lines. Modern infantry equipment, mainly sidearms, SMGs, assault rifles, and sniper rifles looked and felt durable. The tanks looked more menacing than previous models like the American M1 Abrams or the Russian T90, and the fighter jets were sleeker variants of the F-35 Lightning II mixed with an F-22 Raptor. And then the vessels; 50 destroyers, 50 submarines, 25 missile cruisers and 5 aircraft carriers. All ships were near completion.

"This is Project Alexander. All the latest equipment the United States Military has to offer," Luthor explained, "They will all be shipped to every U.S. overseas bases; Germany, Japan, Korea, Afghanistan, Iraq. I could go on."

"And the carriers?" Conner asked.

"Gerald R. Ford class," he said proudly.

As they walked the gangway, Conner took a closer look at the weapons and asked, "Why the name 'Alexander?' Is the project named after you?"

"No," Luthor laughed, "It's a reference to the will of Alexander the Great."

Now the Boy of Steel understood, "Ah right, the expansion to the south and west."

"Precisely," the Secretary-General smiled, "And once we send them away, they don't have to come back. We have installed repair warehouses and dockyards in every base."

Conner chuckled and couldn't help but make a joke, "Your great grandfather would have needed one heck of a paper bag."

Luthor chuckled as well before continuing, "In two weeks, once the ships are done, we can finally spread Western influence the right way."

Then Conner dropped his smirk, "The right way?"

"We can finally fix what we created," Luthor said, "We're going to kill these terrorists even before they step out of the foxholes." He turned to Conner with determination, "We will be able to neutralise a lot of threats before they even happen."

Almost instantly, Conner wanted to say 'no'. He didn't like the sound of what he was planning. It didn't seem ethical to him, even to the U.N's standards of peace. Right? You didn't target people who hadn't done anything wrong. Even some terrorists were forced to do evil. Right? "Doesn't punishment usually come after the crime?" He asked very innocently.

Luthor sighed, "We can't afford to wait that long."

"Who's 'we'?" Conner questioned, "The U.N.? Or the Light?"

"After the departure of the Reach two years ago, I convinced the World Security Council that we needed a surge in threat annihilation in order to have freedom. For once in a lifetime, we can go ahead of the curve."

Conner was getting angry, this was going too far, "By holding the entire world by gunpoint… you call that freedom?"

"I've read the history books, Conner. For the last hundred years, everyone did cruel things to one another," Luthor said with a glare this time.

"I understand that," Conner said as he turned to see the mass-produced army, "But _this._ This isn't _freedom_. If anything, that's _fear_."

"At this point in time, we have to look at the world and take it as it is, not as we'd like to be. And I think the entire Justice League, including yourself, should accept that by now," Luthor challenged, "The world is filled with madness that must be dealt with to the highest degree. Even if it means you're involved in it."

Conner eyed him, walking closer to him. Luthor towered him by a few feet. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't report this to the League?"

"Hmph. I'm certain Batman and his band of vigilantes wouldn't see this as a problem. They would see this as a 'for the greater good' scenario. And you wouldn't want the League to fight each other. Correct?" Lex grinned. Conner was lost for words as he couldn't find words to retort, "Besides, I'm your father, aren't I?"

He so desperately wanted to punch him in the face, but perhaps he was right, "Fair enough."

Luthor smiled, "Now then since you will be keeping this all a secret, I believe you deserve a parting gift."

Conner raised a brow, "Parting gift?"

Luthor started walking back to the elevator and Conner followed like a dog. Going up the elevator and reaching Mercy. She walked towards them, holding a small box in her hand and then handing it to Luthor. Conner had a suspicion that he knew what it was. He couldn't because the box was lined with lead. Luthor handed him the box and spoke, "Just in case."

The Boy of Steel opened the box. Of course. He recognised the dark red House of El silhouette anywhere. It was just that he had used up all of them eight years ago.

Shields.

"Now you can either keep the Shields, Conner. Or you can be a part of the future?" Luthor queried.

"Don't hold your breath," Conner snorted. He wasn't taking any part in this 'military strategy'. Sure, he agreed, that an army should be prepared, but this kind of army wasn't typical. Not typical at all. As they headed outside of the facility, Conner asked a question he now wished he hadn't, "Can I ask you something?"

"By all means, go for it."

"What makes you think you can control me?"

Luthor smirked, "It's simple really… Red Son."

…

Conner remained still for ten hours. Once he finally 'woke' up, he looked that he was still holding the box of Shields. He looked around, Luthor was nowhere to be seen, and it was already dawn.

"Damnit," he cursed, "That still works?"

He couldn't care less anymore and instead investigated where he was. After a while, he realised he was in Staten Island, New Jersey.

"Okay… where's the nearest Zeta-tube?"

…

The next day, from his office window, Luthor watched as New York City came back to life. Mercy standing by his side, hands behind her back. Suddenly, he heard his computer make a buzzing noise. Back to business. He called out to his cyborg assistant/bodyguard, "Secure office."

She nodded as she picked up a glass remote control and pressed a small button. The glass windows turned black as metal shields dropped over the doors slowly. He sat on his desk chair and checked his computer. There was an outgoing call just waiting for him. He pressed the accept call button and on his screen was a shadowy figure.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Luthor asked jokingly.

" _We have a situation that we need fixing as soon as possible,"_ the shadowy figure spoke with a distorted voice, " _We can't access your files, Luthor. Your drive appears to be corrupted."_

Lex joking mood turned sour, he looked confused, "That's impossible. I can assure you, it can be accessed."

The figure sighed, " _You have your own copy of the drive. Why don't you see for yourself then we'll figure out a way to open it? I have other matters to attend to right now."_

The screen closed and Luthor was left slightly irritated. What was going on? Opening his desk drawer, he picked up his own copy of the flash drive. He felt the weight of it in his hand and with a heavy sigh, he knew that the future of the world was at his fingertips. He inserted the drive into his computer.

A female computerized voice boomed, " _Welcome, Secretary General."_

"Open _Dragonfly_ and Metahuman trafficking location files," Luthor told the voice-activated computer.

After a split second, " _Access denied."_

Luthor was annoyed instantly, "Run decryption."

" _Decryption failed,"_ the monotone voice informed him.

Growing even more infuriated, he said, "Sec. Gen. Override, Luthor, Alexander J."

" _Override denied. All filed… sealed."_

"On whose authority?" Luthor questioned the machine.

"… _Luthor, Alexander J."_

Luthor's eyes widened as he stared at the flashing "LOCKED" computer file logo. This wasn't good. Definitely not good.

…

 _ **And there you have Chapter 3! I'm really loving the support from you guys. I really am!**_

 _ **What do you guys think about the Project Alexander thing? It sounds silly I know, but I didn't want to copy Project Insight from CA: TWS.**_

 _ **Once again, this is my take on certain characters so please keep an open mind to some who don't appreciate it.**_

 _ **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this one and I'll see you all soon. Hopefully… :)**_


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